Railway-tie.



No. 722,473; PATENTED MAR. 10, 1903,

W. A. WETMORB.

RAILWAY TIE.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 28, 1902.

N0 MODEL.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM A. WETMORE, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA.

RAILWAY-TIE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 722,473, dated March 10, 1903. Application filed November 28, 1902. Serial No. 133,008. (No model- T0 to whom it may concern:

Be it known that LWILLIAM A.WETMORE, a citizen of the United States, residing in the city and county of San Francisco, State. of California, have invented an Improvement in Railway-Ties; and I hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same.

My invention relates to improvements in railway-ties; and it consists in the combination of a rolled-steel double-flange tie in conjunction with a wooden block and tie-plate and in details of construction which will be more fully explained by reference to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a plan view of my invent-ion. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of one end of the same, dotted lines showing flange after being bent into position.

It is the object of my invention to provide an improved cross-tie for railway uses in which the major portion of the tie is made of comparatively indestructible material and the ends or supports upon which the rails lie are made of short sections of wood detachably fixed to the steel portion of the tie.

As herein shown, the tie consists of a rolledsteel plate A, having upwardly and downwardly projecting flanges 2 and 3 upon each edge. The downwardly-projecting flanges are embedded in the earth forming the roadbed, which fills in'the space and forms a firm and rigid support. This tie is of a length approximately the same as ordinary ties extending upon each side beyond the width between the rails, and I have here shown the central portion made wider than the ends in order to permit the wooden blocks to be introduced and forced outwardly into the channels formed between the upper flanges 2, where they are secured. These blocks (shown at 4) may be made sixteen to eighteen inches in length and about seven inches wide on the bottom, six inches wide on the top, and three and one-half to five and one-half inches in height, with rounded upper angles to minimize the abrasion at this point.

The above dimensions for the blocks are very suitable for the purpose; but it will be manifest that they may be varied to suit the conditions, and the length and width of the steel tie may also be changed.

The ends of the u pwardly-projectin g flanges 2 may be bent inwardly over the shoulder of the block to hold the block in place on web of tie and further bent inwardly or otherwise constructed to form shoulders'against which the wooden blocks abut when in position, and this serves to prevent end displacement of the blocks.

The blocks may be entered from the inner ends of the channels, beingplaced upon the wider portion of the tie, and they may be forced outwardly simultaneously by hydraulic or other available pressure until they abut against the shoulders 5 at the ends of the channels.

If found desirable, wooden or other struts may be. introduced between the inner ends of the blocks, extending across the central portion of the tie and being firmly fixed in place, so as to prevent any displacement of the blocks toward the center.

6 is a tie-plate of any ordinary or suitable size having flanges extending downwardly, as at 7, and on each side of the wooden block 4:, and this serves as a supportfor the rail, which crosses each tie at this point. The rails are then secured tothe tie-plate and the block by lag or other bolts, with flanged heads or spikes or other suitable fastenings, which engage the rail-flanges and retain the rail firmly in place.

The wooden blocks are to -be treated with creosote or other preservative, and, if desired, the tie and the tie-plate may be coated with coal-tar, asphaltuin, or other preservative against deterioration. Holes may be made in the web of the tie toallow water to freely escape, as at 9. The open space formed between the downwardly-projecting flanges 3 is filled with the ballast or other material of the road-bed and the tie firmly seated thereon, thus giving the requisite support forthe tie and its load. The space formed between the upwardly-projecting flangesmay, also be filled with ballast, thus adding to the firmness of the road-bed. I

By this construction I am enabled to construct a tie the main portion of which is made of steel or other sufficiently durable material and to use a minimum of wood or equivalent support for the tie, which is compressed between the upturned flanges of the tie, so as to prevent its being easily split or broken.

The length of these wooden blocks is only sufficient to form a proper support for the rail, and the tie-plates covering the blocks and upon which the rails rest are of sufficient length and thickness to form a suitable support for the weight and prevent the wooden blocks from being readily cut by the constant passage of heavy trains and prevent buckling of the tie-plate. When such blocks are destroyed or damaged, it is only necessary to drive them toward the center until they reachv the open space, remove them, and replace them with new ones. All the desired elasticity of the Wood as a support is retained, and there is no waste of the large quantity of wood which must be used when the wooden ties extend the whole of the required length.

Having thus described myinvention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. A railway-tie consisting of a rolled-steel plate having upwardly and downwardly projecting flanges, wooden blocks adapted to fit the channels formed by the upwardly-extending flanges at each end, said flanges made wider in the space between the rail positions and narrower at the ends of the blocks to form end abutments for said blocks,and metal tie-plates fitted and secured upon the surfaces of the blocks to form rail-supports.

2. A railway-tie consisting of a rolled-steel plate having upwardly and downwardly projecting flanges, the channels formed by said flanges being made wider in the space between the rail positions, wooden blocks adapted to fit and be locked between the upturned flanges beneath the rail positions, said flanges having inturned ends or shoulders against which the blocks abut to prevent end movement.

' 3. A railway-tie consisting of a rolled plate having flanges forming channels above and below, the upper channels being converged and narrower toward the top, wooden blocks adapted to fit and be locked in said channels to form raiLsupports, shoulders formed at the ends of the channels against which the outer ends of the block abut,tie-plates having downwardly-projecting flanges fitting upon each side of the wooden blocks, and means for securing said plates and railway-rails upon the blocks.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

WILLIAM A. WETMORE.

Witnesses:

S. H. NoURsE, JESSIE O. BRoDIE. 

